In integrated circuits protection of circuit blocks including interconnected elements such as resistors, capacitors and transistors protection measures against electrostatic discharge aim at eliminating destruction of functional elements of the circuit blocks of the integrated circuit by the electrostatic discharge.
Since dimensions of semiconductor devices tend to shrink with advancing semiconductor technologies while demands on functionality such as current carrying capability or ESD robustness of diodes remain unaffected, shrinking dimensions of diodes while maintaining their level of functionality is challenging.
Thus, it is desirable to shrink dimensions of diodes while maintaining their level of functionality such as current carrying capability or robustness against electrostatic discharge.